All American Season 8 Episode 5 Review: Dirty Secrets Amid a Dramatic Dinner Party

Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0

4.3

All Coop wanted was to host a quiet dinner party so that her friends and Breonna could get better acquainted.

I’ve never seen Coop so nervous. Has she met the Bakers and her friends?

They come with drama. There was no way that this dinner party would go off without a meltdown.

All American Season 8 Episode 5 picked up in the evening where the last episode left off. 

Almost every character has a secret, so several try to get out of Coop’s last-minute dinner party, but they can’t, out of loyalty to her, meaning things will erupt like a volcano at the worst possible second.

“The Truth” highlighted family bonds, including found family, and how family reacts to betrayal. Some of these relationships will weather these mistakes, while others will crumble after being hurt. Even family members can only forgive so much.

Coop Strived To Make Her Friends Understand Her Happiness

Coop has changed. She’s more confident and represents more corporations than people, but she still wants to help people.

She seemed happy with Breonna, and she wanted her friends to understand why.

I’ve never seen Coop that nervous before, but she knew Patience for years, and she was part of the vortex group, whereas Breonna is older and her professor.

It’s been fun watching Coop grow up into this confident, career-driven woman, and I’m glad that she’s found someone along the way.

While it would have been nice to have an elegant dinner party, it wouldn’t have been as much fun.

So Much For a Quiet Family Dinner

Nothing went right at this dinner, mainly because Amina refused to talk about Dimsburg, which made Coop, Breonna, and Layla suspicious, but Preach seemed oblivious.

It seemed like so many topics were off-limits, from Dimsburg to Jordan’s potential job offer, which could hinder his relationship with Cassius, screw things up with Khalil, and prevent him from traveling with Layla.

The guests also kept arriving, which seemed awkward and entertaining, until KJ got stuck in multiple lies.

He’s not really a serial liar. He doesn’t know how to refuse Amina, which landed him in hot water with both Amina’s dad and his girlfriend.

Jordan is usually skilled at mediating teenagers, but he got caught in the crossfire and thrown under the bus when KJ announced that he was considering a job at Beverly.

I hate that KJ did that. He used to respect and look up to Jordan, and now he wrecked Jordan and Khalil’s relationship, too. 

Everyone was yelling at everyone else. We’ve seen chaos before, and it surpassed that. I think Khalil was more hurt and worried than angry, as his main concern was whether he’d transfer to Beverly, too, which set KJ off further.

Coop and Breonna probably should have stayed out of Preach yelling at Amina. I know Coop is practically family, but that wasn’t the time for a massive family debate, and Amina didn’t want Breonna’s opinion.

You have to love Layla Keating-Baker. She yelled for everyone to shut up and separate, and they listened.

I’m even more impressed that this dinner drama didn’t scare Breonna away. She liked how passionate Coop’s friends were. Then again, she’s a lawyer, so she likes a good challenge.

Parenting Is Challenging When You Want More For Your Kids

Being a parent is no easy task. Preach was more upset that Amina threw away her chances at a good school because Dimsburg was her chance at a good college for journalism.

He also felt betrayed that she never told him about the ICE raid and the conflict she felt about writing that article.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Amina reminds me of a teenage Olivia. She refused to back down from her beliefs as much as Olivia used to, and it got her into trouble, too.

As a writer, I respect it, just like Coop did. As a parent, I could see the frustration. Preach wanted to fix things by having Amina write an apology letter to the school and getting her re-enrolled, but that’s not what Amina needed.

But I was relieved that Coop fought for Amina, reminding Preach that Amina only lied because she was scared. Amina needed to feel her village on her side, even if she messed up.

It was an emotional moment when Preach listened to Coop, reassuring his daughter that there were other ways to handle the situation, and they’d figure it out, but she was grounded indefinitely.

I think Amina will be happier back at home, and it will be interesting to see if she and KJ begin to date for real once she’s out of trouble.

How Much Can Family Forgive?

Understanding how much family can forgive seemed to be a common theme for “The Truth.” Khalil had difficulty letting his mother back into his life after she abandoned him and his father.

Khalil still wasn’t on the best terms with his dad, but he acknowledged his dad had tried, whereas his self-worth took a hit after his mom left, and he blamed himself for her leaving them.

Things were tense with his parents until Khalil learned Jordan may take the coaching job at Beverly.

That would change everything in Khalil’s eyes because then Jordan would be rooting for Khalil to lose.

I’m sure that’s not what Jordan wanted, but Khalil ran straight to his parents, as he thought that was his only option.

Should we be concerned that Khalil was missing on the day of the showcase?

I truly hope nothing kept him from showing those colleges he’s got what it takes, and it doesn’t matter who his coach is anymore.

Hopefully, Cassius and Cliff Mosley will not succeed at their plan. While I don’t approve of Principal London asking Jordan to replace Cassius as the head coach, Jordan did the right thing and told Cassius the truth.

I had hoped that Cassius would see what a snake Cliff Mosley was, but it looks like he’s going to work with the snake.

I’m unsure if Jordan will or even should forgive him for that. Jordan tried to warn him since Cliff had betrayed their family before on All American, and working with him will cut deep.

Over to you, All American Fanatics. Are you glad the truth about Amina is out? How will Jordan react when he learns that Cassius is still working with Cliff Mosley?

Let us know in the comments.

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